At the mainline Lime Street Station two new platforms will be built, with others lengthened, to increase capacity for three more trains per hour, in addition to the 19 trains per hour the station currently handles.

It will pave the way for extra services, such as the new Liverpool to Glasgow link starting in 2019.

Four new shop units and a supermarket will also be built at the station.

The most disruptive work at Lime Street will start on September 30, 2017 for a month, during which Lime Street will be closed for the first nine days.

Network Rail aims to move passengers in and out of the city by using Liverpool South Parkway, where passengers will change trains to the Merseyrail service, which will then bring them in and out of the city via the Northern Line.

There will be a further closure in 2018, but the detail is yet to be revealed.

Lime Street station before:

Lime Street station after:

Network Rail acknowledged the programme will lead to widespread disruption but said carrying out the extensive programme in one go it will avoid further disruption that could be caused by works over-running.

The overall £340m investment also includes:

the creation of a fourth rail track at Huyton and Roby to allow express trains to bypass stopping services;

Martin Frobisher, Network Rail route managing director, said: “Our aim over the next three years is to give the people of Liverpool the high-quality rail services they deserve.

“With demand for rail travel expected to rise by 50% over the coming years, these improvements are vital for the future growth and prosperity of this great city region.

“During the work Liverpool will remain open for business, welcoming visitors to the city as well as providing vital transport links for commuters.

“Our focus during any disruption is to take a similar approach to the Commonwealth Games, to ensure that while journeys will be slightly different, that they run smoothly enabling access to the city at all times.”

“It’s essential in keeping the Liverpool City Region moving now, and in the future.

“Network Rail’s investment is in addition to the funding we have secured from the Government for certain key schemes and also that we’ve raised locally.

“It’s helping deliver the first stage of our 30-year Long Term Rail Strategy, supporting economic growth by boosting connections and capacity within the City Region and beyond.

“We see this as essential incremental improvement ahead of transformational schemes such as high speed links north-south and east-west to ensure we fulfil our potential as a key player in the Northern Powerhouse.”

Retail access at Lime Street

He added: 2The work to take forward these schemes will, in some cases, mean significant changes to how people make their journeys.

“We see ourselves as the passengers’ champion, working with Network Rail and train operators to ensure that they have the best plans possible in place to minimise disruption to residents, visitors and business.”

Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson said: “It’s a welcome sign of our success and growing economy, with more jobs and businesses, that there is more demand for train services to travel both around the city region and beyond.

“This investment will mean real improvements for people in every corner of the city region, while we continue to lobby hard for the big transformational investments like HS2 and HS3.”